


walking feet

by childofthenight2035



Series: Put Your Glasses On [1]
Category: GOT7, JJ Project
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Drabble, Fluff, Gym Setting, M/M, based off that one tumblr post, but yeah, idk to find it now, preschool teacher!Jinyoung
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:35:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21693139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/childofthenight2035/pseuds/childofthenight2035
Summary: Jinyoung was tired, but it wasn't the kids' fault.
Relationships: Im Jaebum | JB/Park Jinyoung
Series: Put Your Glasses On [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1685593
Comments: 17
Kudos: 284





	walking feet

Jinyoung was tired, to say the least. But it wasn’t because of the juice incident, he’ll swear on it (in front of the kid, at least). Because there hardly ever passes a day when Yugyeom _doesn’t_ spill something, be it juice, or goldfish crackers, or Legos, or Jinyoung’s dignity. He thinks it’s safe to say that he’s gotten used to things like that. He’s even kept a spare outfit in the staff room just in case. So no matter how much Yugyeom cried and no matter how much his mother apologized, Jinyoung doesn’t think it would bother him. 

Jinyoung was tired, but it wasn’t the juice incident. It wasn’t the macaroni tantrum, either. And it wasn’t even the unfortunate discovery of a kid’s peanut allergy, although it did scare him for about two hours until the allergy shot was administered.  
And this might be generous of him, but it wasn’t Jackson’s fault. He’s so used to blaming Jackson’s recklessness for things going wrong, but even Jinyoung can’t pin this one on his best friend.

Being a teacher at a pre-school, Jinyoung has learned from two years’ experience, is certainly not just teaching them their letters and colours and shapes. It’s also teaching them how to hold a spoon and feed themselves, and how to use the toilet when they had to, and when they had to sit still and when they could play. It’s differentiating the things they can and cannot put into their mouths; where they need to walk and where they can run; how to be quiet and how to obey orders; what they shouldn’t do to other children.

It’s exhausting—like rewiring robots without knowing a hint of engineering. But Jinyoung wouldn’t give it up for the world. His love for the children, the number of likes he gets on his posts and his pending correspondence course on child psychology keep him there.  
It wasn’t altogether a surprise when Jackson took up a part time thing there, too. The kids absolutely loved them.

Jinyoung was tired, but it wasn’t the kids’ fault.

He sometimes doesn’t undertstand how he can be so patient with the tiny gremlins who pour juice onto his lap and stick crumbs in his hair with glue when he isn’t paying attention, but can’t find a shred of tolerance for some of those single mothers who just _have_ to flirt with him. Like, okay, he’s been told that he’s handsome (Jackson still says it every day) and he’s gotten his share of interested guys and girls, but these mothers were just _too_ much with their innuendos (that flew safely over the kids’ heads, thank fuck). It’s begun to make him associate the disgust he feels with the children themselves. He simply doesn’t like it.

So he’s tired, emotionally. He shouldn’t have to keep being so polite.

Jackson has taught (read: forced, coerced, begged, blackmailed) him to take his frustration out at the gym. He didn’t decide to buff up to impress anyone. He’s found that the kids like to hang from his arms and he likes being needed.

The gym is nearly empty; it’s just Jinyoung and another guy whose back is to him. He’s slowly lifting weights while subtly watching the stranger attempt to navigate the room—running.

He sees it so clearly it could have been in slow motion. The man’s shoe catches on a machine and he falls. Jinyoung is sure at least some part of the machine stabbed him in the gut.

The words escape him automatically. _Of course_ they do. “This is why we use our _walking_ feet.” His voice is unnaturally loud in the empty gym and Jinyoung is thankful, for the guy’s sake _and_ his, that there aren’t others around to witness this.

The guy just stares at him from his position on the floor, dumbfounded and Jinyoung can feel his neck and ears heating up. They’re probably red. He’s seriously _this_ close to setting down the weights and bolting, when the dude nods and says, “Yeah, okay. That’s fair. I should’ve done that.”

There’s a beat of silence and then both of them are chuckling, at themselves and this entire stupid situation. Jinyoung now takes note of the guy’s appearance as he gets up and dusts himself off. He’s attractive. Very much Jinyoung’s type. Not…that it matters or anything.

“Walking feet, huh? You work with kids or something?” The guy settles onto the machine, this time facing Jinyoung.

“Ah. Yeah, I do.” Jinyoung sets his weights down for a moment and reaches for his towel. “I’m a pre-school teacher.”

“Wow.” The man nods in admiration (impressed?). “I’ve got mad respect for that. The only toddler I know is my nephew and I can hardly deal with him.” He shakes his head and Jinyoung can see a fond smile on his face despite his words. “Ah, I’m Jaebeom, by the way. Didn’t introduce myself.”

“I’m Jinyoung.” He doesn’t know why he’s suddenly nervous.

“Nice. Anyway, hats off to you, dude.” Jaebeom runs a hand through his long sweaty hair (Jinyoung thinks that much hair can surely be tied up, _not_ that he’s into stuff like that). “Don’t know how you do it.”

“Does your nephew go to preschool?” he asks, curious and eager to keep the conversation going. 

“Yeah, he does, thank god,” Jaebeom replies. “Sunrise Preschool or whatever it’s called.”

 _Wait,_ Jinyoung thinks, _that’s where I work._

“I…work there,” he voices out loud and Jaebeom is suddenly looking at him in wonder.

“Wait, seriously?” He sounds both disbelieving and also partly _sorry_ , as if he thinks no one should have the misfortune of working in the same room as his nephew.

“Yes.” Jinyoung is excited now. Perhaps he knows Jaebeom’s nephew? “What’s his name?”

And then Jaebeom says, “Yugyeom. But he likes to call himse—”

“Wait a darn minute,” Jinyoung interrupts, because he doesn’t need to hear any more. He knows pretty well what Yugyeom calls himself. “ _Yugyeom?_ Are you _kidding_ me?”

“Aw, fuck,” Jaebeom groans, burying his face in his hands. “You know his name; that means he’s definitely a troublemaker.” He peeks at him through his fingers. “I’m so sorry for whatever he’s done.”

Jinyoung laughs loudly, covering his mouth with his palm. “No, no, it’s fine. Yugyeom’s a good kid, really. _Really_ ,” he repeats when Jaebeom arches an eyebrow at him. “He just lacks a little in the decision-making department. We’re working on it.” Jinyoung admires the way Jaebeom’s eyes seem to disappear as he smiles. 

“Are you…done for the day?” He asks, noting Jinyoung’s lack of activity. Actually, Jinyoung was just occupied with staring at Jaebeom’s face, but no one needs to know that.

“Ah. Yeah, I suppose so.”

Jaebeom hesitates as if he wanted to say something, then clicks his tongue impatiently at himself. “Um, do you want to, like, get some food from the convenience store downstairs? Only—only if you want to.”

Jinyoung is pleasantly surprised. He agrees.

As they sit there, boiling their instant ramen and sipping chocolate milk, Jinyoung learns that Jaebeom is a budding music producer who has a lot of stuff on SoundCloud (Jinyoung makes a mental note to look up Defsoul) and that he has an older sister (Yugyeom’s mother, obviously) and probably several other things that he already forgets. And childish as it may seem, Jinyoung can already picture a future with this man he just met. But he’s getting too far ahead of himself.

“Yugyeom’s not a brat, you know,” Jinyoung tells Jaebeom in between mouthfuls of noodle. “He’s bright for his age. Very…ah. Observant.”

“Really?” Jaebeom doesn’t seem so sure of that.

“He’s mentioned he has an uncle.”

He tilts his head curiously. “He has? What did he say?”

The mere memory of it had Jinyoung smiling to himself. He remembers wondering how a child could have come to such conclusions about his uncle, and now, actually seeing Jaebeom, those doubts get reinforced. 

“I’m not quite sure I should say…” he trails off uncertainly.

“I won’t confront the kid, if you’re worried about that.”

Jinyoung scratches the back of his head. “It’s just that—he said his uncle was sad and grumpy—” Jaebeom’s face falls, “—and he thought it was because his uncle couldn’t find a boyfriend.”

Jaebeom prompty chokes on his ramen and Jinyoung winces apologetically. When he resurfaces, his face is red. 

“Damn, I’m so sorry about that,” he says, fanning his face discreetly.

Jinyoung is instantly endeared.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ve heard kids say much worse.” 

They’ve finished eating their food, he realizes, and he’s not quite sure if he wants the conversation to end.

“You must have work to do,” Jaebeom says at last, checking his watch. “Sorry for keeping you here so late.”

Jinyoung brushes it off, standing up to dispose of the box. “It’s fine. I wanted to stay.”

There’s a moment of silence where both of them teeter on the edge of speech, hands awkwardly shoved into pockets.

Jaebeom breaks it first. “Will I see you again?”

Jinyoung can’t help but let a grin creep onto his face. “I’ll be at the gym tomorrow.”

“Oh. Cool. Okay.” Jaebeom’s eye smile has to be a wonder of the modern world, he thinks. “And maybe I can pop by the preschool sometime. To pick Yugyeom up, you know.”

Jinyoung shouldn’t be hopeful, but he is. He stares into those deep black eyes that he certainly wouldn’t mind seeing more often. 

“Yeah,” he says. He’s breathless. “I’d like that.”


End file.
